Capítulo 595: Discussion with Ethan
After it was over, Nathan left quietly.
Julia remained behind, wrapped in the heavy warmth of the bed, left alone with the slow, inevitable mont when sleep would claim her and reality would follow when she woke. He did not wake her, did not offer farewell words. After all she wasn’t soone really bold to begin with.
Truthfully, Nathan hadn’t expected Julia to be so bold.
He knew he had earned her affection—he wasn’t blind to the way she looked at him, the way her presence subtly shifted whenever he entered the room—but he had never imagined she would go so far as to bare herself so completely, to offer herself without hesitation, without fear. Her resolve had surprised him, and perhaps, in a way, impressed him.
Still, when the mont ca, Nathan accepted her.
He always did.
After all, he had never been the type to reject a woman he genuinely liked.
As he walked through the vast halls of the Senate Castle, his footsteps echoed softly against ancient stone, his thoughts drifting far from the ornate corridors surrounding him. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows on the walls, mirroring the growing complexity of his own life.
The more ti passed, the more won beca part of his world—his family, his lovers, his responsibilities. With every bond he ford, every promise unspoken yet understood, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.
It wasn’t fear that stirred within him. Nor hesitation.
It was awareness.
To protect them—to protect all of them—strength alone would never be enough. Power had many forms, and raw force was only one of them. Influence, authority, and reach were just as crucial. If he wanted his family to live safely in this world, he needed to ensure that the world itself had no choice but to accommodate them.
The Light Empire had been his first step.
Born from revenge, shaped by his hatred of the Divine Knights, it had initially been nothing more than a ans to strike back. But now, it had beco sothing greater. A foundation. A starting point for a far more ambitious design—one ant to create a future where no one under his protection could be threatened so easily again.
It would take ti.
Even more so when so of the won bound to him were not rely powerful, but divine. Goddesses. Beings whose very existence invited complication, danger, and the attention of forces far beyond mortal concerns. Entering a relationship with a Goddess was never simple, and Nathan knew well that things could spiral into chaos without warning.
Still, he was prepared.
Eventually.
But for now, there were matters that could not be postponed.
Especially today.
Leaving the Senate Castle behind, Nathan rose into the sky, his body cutting effortlessly through the air as Ro stretched beneath him. The city grew smaller with every passing second until its borders faded into the distance. Once far enough, he descended, landing soundlessly beyond the outskirts, moving forward on foot with deliberate calm.
He hadn’t gone far when a voice rang out behind him.
“As expected, you ca. Since when did you know we were there?”
Nathan stopped and turned.
Standing before him were Ethan, Olivia, Jane, and Lan.
The sa group. The sa tension.
“Even though you are a Demigod,” Ethan continued, his tone laced with curiosity rather than hostility, “you shouldn’t have been able to notice us.”
Nathan t his gaze calmly, utterly unfazed.
“I asked soone to keep an eye on you,” he replied evenly. “She told where you were hiding. I simply ca to confirm it for myself. Judging by the fact that you’re still here, you haven’t moved since.”
The “soone” he referred to was obvious.
dea.
As always, she had proven herself indispensable. Her magic was unparalleled, her vigilance unwavering. Keeping watch over them had been one of Nathan’s explicit demands after securing Julius Caesar, and true to form, she had not failed him.
She never did.
“Keep an eye on us?” Jane repeated, disbelief dripping from her voice as she glared at Nathan.
Her expression hardened, jaw tightening as irritation flared openly across her face. Even if they weren’t allies—far from it, in fact—they were certainly not his enemies. So why was he watching them? Why place them under surveillance like potential threats?
Ethan, in contrast, laughed softly at her reaction.
“I should’ve expected no less from you,” he said, amusent laced with resignation. His gaze lingered on Nathan with sothing closer to weary understanding than anger. “You still don’t trust us, do you?”
Nathan didn’t hesitate.
“Should I?” he replied calmly. “You were declared dead across the entire world during the war against the Demon King. Every record, every testimony, every witness claid you fell in battle. And yet here you are—alive, unscathed, and walking around as if nothing happened.”
Even Khione had believed them dead. The Goddess herself had been genuinely stunned when she learned the truth. If soone like her had been deceived, then whatever had occurred during that final battle was far beyond ordinary explanation.
Sothing had gone wrong.
Or perhaps not wrong—but strange.
Nathan had considered several possibilities. Maybe they had been hurled into the future. Or sealed away in a space where ti simply didn’t flow. A suspended void, frozen and unmoving, from which they had only been released five years ago. Whatever the truth was, it defied logic and left too many unanswered questions.
“Well, believe it or not,” Ethan said honestly, the laughter fading from his voice, “we’re just as confused as you are about how it happened.”
For once, there was no bravado in his tone. No confidence. Just sincerity.
He clearly hadn’t expected things to turn out this way either.
Nathan studied him for a mont before letting a faint, mocking smile curve his lips.
“Judging by how miserable you look,” he said coolly, “I’m guessing you lost Aaron.”
The reaction was imdiate.
“You—!” Jane stepped forward, fury flashing in her eyes, her hand tightening as if she were ready to strike.
Before she could act, Olivia placed a firm hand on her arm, silently holding her back. Her expression remained composed, but her eyes were sharp, calculating.
“Well,” Ethan admitted with a sigh, “he ran. Had a backup plan prepared—so kind of teleportation spell. The mont things turned against him, he escaped.”
“That’s… very displeasing to hear,” Nathan said flatly.
In truth, it irritated him far more than he let on.
He had wanted Aaron alive. Answers were far more valuable than revenge. But it seed fate had decided to delay that confrontation yet again.
And unfortunately, Nathan knew his limits. Handling Pandora had already pushed him far enough. Taking on Aaron at the sa ti would have been reckless—even for him. Asking dea to pursue Aaron was out of the question as well. Aaron was a Demigod, cunning and deeply resentful. He had already proven himself dangerous once.
Like the ti he had sent a monster that followed him all the way into Deter’s garden.
Nathan wasn’t about to expose dea to that kind of risk.
So, for now, Aaron would remain free.
Annoying—but inevitable.
“What exactly is your relationship with Aaron?” Ethan asked, his tone shifting, becoming serious.
Nathan t his gaze without flinching.
“I don’t know for certain,” he said after a brief pause. “But it’s possible we’re related. He might be my father’s brother.”
Silence fell.
“What?” Jane blurted out, eyes widening. “So… your uncle?!”
“Possibly,” Nathan replied with a scoff. “Unfortunately, you lost him before I could get confirmation.”
“Then you should’ve dealt with him yourself,” Olivia said coolly, her gaze cold.
Nathan glanced at her, unimpressed.
“Why would I?” he replied. “Aaron isn’t my priority.”
“You chose to prioritize Pandora,” Ethan said thoughtfully, nodding. “I’ll admit, I’m impressed. So—how is she doing?”
“Good,” Nathan answered simply.
Ethan chuckled, a hint of admiration surfacing in his smile.
“Well, aren’t you sothing,” he said. “Given everything, don’t you think cooperation would make sense? At least so of our goals seem to align.”
Nathan didn’t respond imdiately.
Instead, he let the silence stretch—just long enough for tension to build.
Then he spoke.
“I’m planning to attack the Light Empire.”
The words landed like a thunderclap.
Shock rippled through the group like a sudden wave. Jane’s eyes widened, her mouth parting as disbelief froze her in place, while Ethan remained still, his expression hardening into sothing serious and contemplative. Even Olivia, usually composed, showed a faint flicker of surprise.
“What?!” Jane blurted out, her voice sharp and incredulous.
“You heard ,” Nathan replied evenly, his tone unwavering. “I’m planning to attack that Empire.”
The silence that followed felt heavy, almost oppressive.
Ethan exhaled slowly before speaking. “Why?” he asked. “Revenge?”
He shook his head slightly. “I don’t know what exactly happened between you and the Light Empire, but dragging an entire nation into ruin just to satisfy personal grudges is foolish.”
Nathan didn’t bristle. He didn’t raise his voice.
“It’s not just revenge,” he said calmly. “Though I won’t deny it plays a part. My goal is to free the Empire—from the Divine Knights and from the Light Gods who control it.”
That did it.
Their eyes widened in unison.
“Do you even hear yourself?” Olivia said, her tone sharp and cutting. “Putting aside the Divine Knights for a mont, the Light Gods are an entirely different matter. You’re talking about opposing Gods.”
“First the Divine Knights,” Nathan replied without hesitation. “The rest can wait. I’ll deal with the Light Gods when the ti cos.”
His gaze darkened.
“And no, I have no intention of dragging the entire Empire into chaos. There are people there I care about. People I intend to protect. I refuse to let them keep living in a cesspit ruled by those self-righteous bastards calling themselves Divine Knights.”
The air grew tense.
Ethan stared at Nathan for a long mont before finally letting out a tired sigh.
“Divine Knights…” he murmured. “We didn’t have good relations with them back in our ti either. Even then, sothing about them felt wrong. I always suspected they were hiding sothing—but we never uncovered the truth.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Nathan said flatly. “One of their objectives is the destruction of Tenebria. Whether I act or not, they’re already my enemies.”
That single sentence settled everything.
Silence followed.
No one argued.
After a mont, Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white stone—no larger than his thumb. He tossed it toward Nathan, who caught it effortlessly.
“If you ever need to communicate,” Ethan said, “or if circumstances demand it. You may not trust us, but information is information. Sharing it could save lives.”
Nathan glanced at the stone briefly before storing it inside his spatial storage.
“Fair enough.”
Ethan nodded once. “Then we’ll be leaving. We still need to track down Aaron and stop whatever new sche he’s planning.”
“He’s involved with the Corrupted Gods,” Nathan added calmly.
Ethan’s expression darkened instantly.
“I know,” he replied. “That’s exactly why he needs to be stopped.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Olivia, Jane, and Lan lingered only for a brief mont longer, each casting a final, unreadable glance toward Nathan before following Ethan into the distance.
Soon, Nathan was alone again.
And the path ahead was clearer than ever.
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